Panic Gardening in the End Times: An Interventional Study of Homescale Gardening on Food Security During Times of Crisis
Abstract
While the 20th century was characterized by decreasing food insecurity globally due to
innovations in food production and distribution, disruptions in both energy availability and
climate stability in the 21st century are presenting profound challenges to all populations
dependent on the industrial food system.
Proximity to subsistence farming has proven to be the most durable characteristic of food
security. This thesis examines the fragilities built into the industrial food system and reports on
an intervention designed to model the potential impact and challenges associated with
subsistence gardening in peri-urban settings under conditions designed to mimic a low-carbon,
climate-disrupted environment.
The study finds that time, expressed in multiple dimensions, is the greatest limiting factor
for growing enough food to meaningfully offset dependence on the industrial food system with
dietary choice ranking second. Developing a low-input method for starting seeds apart from the
gardening space is also recommended to maximize impact.
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- OU - Theses [2115]
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